The Archbishop of Canterbury has reflected on the 'great pain and anguish' of the Manchester terror attack, praying that Jesus will enter the rooms 'locked by fear'.
In a reflection on Manchester – and on the launch of the Thy Kingdom Come initiative – he describes how the victims, many of them children, were simply going about their daily lives, enjoying the excitement of a concert.
'The terrorist aims to cause division and disintegration, with fear and horror to separate us from our fellow human beings. As Easter Christians who follow Jesus Christ, conqueror of all death and evil, we reply on the words of Martin Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God".'
We must share the reality of suffering as well as proclaim the power of God, he says.
'Those injured and bereaved before Christmas are still suffering, as are so many other victims of terror around the world. The attention of the world moves on, but their hurt and pain remains. Those injured and bereaved in Manchester are beginning a long, hard and cruel journey. For all of them we mourn, we lament, we cry out.
'And we pray. We pray 'Thy Kingdom Come', for a kingdom where his peace shall know no end, where none shall mourn and there will be no more tears.'
Welby continues: 'Prayer moves us closer not only to God, but to one another. It connects us with those whom we otherwise cannot see. Prayer breaks down division, in prayer we take each other's hands and find our safe stronghold.'
Jesus himself put on our lips the Lord's Prayer, in which we say 'Thy Kingdom Come'.
'It's a prayer which acknowledges things aren't as they should be. It's a prayer which we pray through tears as we hear stories of the devastation that humans can bring onto the world, as we see the pain of sorrow and suffering. "Thy Kingdom Come" is a deep cry of longing for a different world," says Welby.
'Isolation is one of our greatest fears and realities. Suffering can compound and intensify it. But in Christ Jesus, God has come to bear our pains and sorrows. Jesus has come to the darkest place of the greatest pain, the deepest anguish and most profound god-forsakenness.
'And because this man of sorrows, who knows deep suffering from the inside, is now alive, having been raised by God from the grave, we have hope. Hope that the one who journeys with us through the valley of the shadow of death is the only one who can lead us to the kingdom of life. Suffering and evil will not have the last word, the Kingdom of God will come. For all that is dark has been overcome in the death and resurrection of Jesus. This gives us every ground for hope.'
WATCH: The Archbishop of Canterbury on the life and purpose offered by Jesus.
WATCH: Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of the gift of life in Jesus, and the value of daily prayer and praise.
